John meissnbe



(No Model.)

J. MBISSNER.

GAR BRAKE.

No. 256.720. Patented Apr. 18,1882.

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A Ziorzz g.

N. FETERS, Phowumn m ner, Walhington. u. c,

v Nirnn STATES ATENT QFFICE.

JOHN MEISSNER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AsSIGNOIt OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY FLEISOHMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 256,720, dated April 18, 1882.

Application filed September 30, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN MEISSNER, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Combined Gar Brake and Coupling,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention is designed as an improvement on the car-brake for which Letters Patent No. 214,418 and No. 242,673 were issued tome April, 15,1879, and June 7, 1881, respectively; and itconsists, in combination with the said brake, of a 1ever-actuated draw-bar, that serves also as a brake-rod, by means of which the brake may be operated and the car coupled.

Figure 1 is a reverse plan view with parts broken away to exhibit other parts, showingthe improved device in position on the bottom of a car. -Fig. 2 is a partly-sectional side elevation ofthe same, with parts broken away to exhibit other parts, on line 00 m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional end elevation of the same on line 3 y, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end elevation, showing the device for preventing the accidental setting of the brake.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A represents a car-floor; B, the truck-frame; O, a car-axle, and D the car-wheels. A bolt, E, passing down through the floor A, centrally through a circular antifriction plate, F, through a strut, G, and truckframe B, and having a nut, a, on its end, holds these parts together and in position. Anglelugs H, bolted on the cross-bar of the frame B, have their upper ends'in contact with the anti-friction plate F, and therebyafford bearing-points for steadying the frame B when the car is in motion.

L is the brake-shoe frame, having straight parallel sides I) an d bowed ends 0 hinged thereto, as shown, and having in each of its sides two sockets, 'm, for holding the brake-shoes M, said sockets m having hinged outer sides, n, that may be thrown open for the placing or removal of the shoes M, and that are secured, closed, in place by screw or other device, as shown at 0. The hinging of the bowed ends 0 to the sides I) of the brake-shoe frame L is designed to facilitate the movement and adjustment of the said brake-shoe frame relatively to the carwheels.

The wooden brake-shoesiVLwhich arecutout on their lower edges to correspond, or nearlyso, with the curves of the peripheries of the carwheels D, are provided with broad metallic capss s to strengthen and make them more durable, and when inserted in the sockets m of the frame L these caps 8 rest on the upper edge of the sockets m, and the shoes M are thereby held just above the rims ot' the wheels D. v

To the inner face of the frame L,on the sockets m, are rigidly secured depending angleplates or guards T, that reach nearly to but are not in contact with the axles C. When the car A is running on a curve, where one side of the track is higher than the other, the higher ends of the axles G will press upward against the bottoms of the guards T on that side, and thereby elevate the frame L and the brake-shoes M on that side, and thus prevent the braking of wheels D, which would otherwise oceur, there being also, as parts of this preventive device, yokes U, holding elastic springs V on top of the caps s, which yokes U have their ends slotted, as shown at m, and engaging over the projecting ends of the caps s,

so that said yokes U can move freely up and down with the elastic movements of the springs V. These springs V serve by their elasticity not only to keep the car-body in a horizontal plane when running Where one sideof the track is higher than the other, but serve also to prevent any sudden jar as the axles 0 come in contact with thegnards T. The parts hereinabove described are not new, but are the subjects of the patents above referred to.

On the under side of the car-bottom A is the draw-bar N, whose forward end projects through the draw-head 0, and whose rear end is prolonged or fashioned into arod, N, which is held in a guide-plate, N secured on the said car-bottom A. This draw-bar N is provided with two downward-projectin g screws or lugs, 5

q, that hold the forwardprojecting how 0 of the brake-shoe frame L between them in such a manner that the said front end of the frame L is thereby held up in position, while at the same time it can swing in a horizontal plane sufliciently to accommodate itself to the positions of the car-wheels D as they move on a curve of the road. The rear end, a, of the brakeshoe frameLis held Between lugs 1', that project downward from an angle-plate, Q, that is sooured on the end of a rod, Q, which is held on the under side or" the car-bottom A centrally and longitudinally by a guide-plate, Q, as shown, the opposite end of said plate Q being designed to be connected with a like plate pertaining to the brake attachment of the rear truck of the car. Thefront end of this draw-bar N is provided with two holes, (1f, the foremost one, d, of which is designed to facilitate the connection of the brake mechanism with that of another car by chain or other convenient device, while the holefis slotted and designed for the introduction of the coupling-pin K, which would be passed through the holes 9 g in the draw'head O for coupling cars.

It is designed to use an ordinary couplinglink for coupling, which link (not shown) would be introduced into the draw-head O beneath the draw-bar N, and the holef being slotted topermit a free longitudinal movement of the drawbar N, even when the car is coupled, for the purpose of applying the brake. A semicircular socket, h, is formed in one edge of the drawbar N, in which socket is engaged the circular head of the horizontal lover I, thatis secured on the end of the brake-shaft P, whose lower end is held in a brace, P, on the car-bottom A. The brake-shaftP projects up through the car-bottom A, and has on its top the usual hand-wheel, P. Fixed on the said brake-shaft P is a horizontal ratchet-wheel, P, in which engages a pawl, R that is pivoted on the carbottom A, whereby said brake-shaft P maybe held from turning.

It is designed to apply this coupling device to each end of a car.

To set the brakes, power is applied to turn the brake-shaft P, and this motion is transmitted through the lever P to move the draw-bar N, that in this instance serves as a brake-rod, and thereby the brake-shoe frame L is moved longitudinally, whereby the brake'shoes M are forced in contact with the rims of the carwheels D, wodging said shoes M at the same time between the rims of said wheels D and the car-bottom A. In this position the said shoes M brake the wheels D efi'ectively, in which matter the force applied to the brakeshaft P is supplemented by the weight of the car upon the upper surfaces of the yokes U, and thereby upon the brake-shoes M. Consequently it is obvious that the greater the weight of a car and its load the greater will be the influence they exert in braking the wheels. As the frame L is free to swing within certain limits between the lugs q 'r, and as the brakeshoes M extend below and outside the flanges of the wheels D, it follows that when the car is running on a curve the wheel-flanges will bear against the sides of the said shoes M, and thereby keep them and the frame L in the same relative positions with the wheels D, so that the said wheels D can be braked as readily when running on a curve as when running on a straight line.

1 represents the rubber buffers or cushions held in the truck-frame B, above the journalboxes S, that support the ends of the axle O.

I do not confine myself to the special form of draw-bar and its connected parts as herein shown, as it is manifest that they may be connected with the brake-shaft by other devices and be of different design without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination, with the brake-shoe frame L, of the draw-bar N, provided with suitable devices for connecting it to said frame, substantiallyas herein shown and described.

2. The combination, with the brake -shoc frame L and brake-shaft P, provided with lever 1, of the draw-bar N, having socket h, and provided with lugs q, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the brake is set, as set forth.

3. The combination, with the brake shoe frame L, brake-shaft P, provided with lever P and draw-head O, of the draw-bar N, provided with frame-connecting devices 9, and having slotted coupling-pin hole f, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the brakes may be set while the cars are coupled, as set forth.

JOHN MEISSNER.

Witnesses:

JACOB J. S'roREu, WM. W. LUYSTER. 

